A Bride for Adam by Barbara Goss (speld decodable readers .TXT) 📗

I can look for her. Can you think of a place?”

Harley scratched his balding head. “Randolph Massey has a hunting lodge somewhere near the river. I don’t know exactly where.”

“Anything else? How about an abandoned barn or house?”

“I can’t think of any—wait—there’s the old Bailey place out on Bailey Road. They named the road after him since he owned all the land before he died. Now, it’s for sale, but his kin want so much for it, no one’s interested in buying it. He never took care of the house, besides, and it’s in shambles. I doubt—”

Adam grew impatient and interrupted Harley. “Can you just tell me where to find this place?”

“Ah, sure. You go down this main road about a mile, turn left at the Y, and the place is about two miles from there. It’s the only house on the road.”

Adam aimed his horse in the direction Harley had indicated, and he saw his father trotting toward him. When they met, his father said, “I didn’t find a thing out from the Tanners. They don’t know where Miles goes now that he has his own flat.”

Adam said, “The deputy told me about a vacant house on Bailey Road. I’m headed there now.

Sam grabbed Adam’s reins. “You can’t just go barging in there—he’ll kill you.”

Adam jerked back his reins. “That maniac has my wife, Father. I’m going there.”

“I think there’s something you need to know first,” Sam said. “You have to try to treat this with brains rather than brawn. Greta’s maid, Sadie, told your mother that Greta might be carrying your child.”

“What?”

“Without going through the details of female personal schedules, Sadie is sure she is at least two months along.”

Adam rubbed his neck and sighed. “That should be the happiest news, but now, it’s the worst. No matter what, it puts Greta at risk. If Tanner finds out about her condition, who knows what he’d do? And if I go into the house shooting, she could get hurt or be scared into losing the child. What should I do?”

“Why not let the sheriff handle it?”

“No. This is something I need to do. I just need to think.”

Sam shrugged. “At least, let me go with you.”

“All right.” He urged his horse forward. “Let’s go.”

They rode as far as the church before Adam reined in and pointed. “Isn’t that the no-good scoundrel?”

Sam glanced at where Adam was pointing. “By golly, it is. He’s going into the attorney’s office.”

“C’mon,” Adam yelled, urging his horse forward. “We can get to the abandoned house while he’s here, in town. We just need to pray that’s where she is.”

~~~~****~~~~

Tired of pacing, Greta sank into the mattress. It didn’t have a sheet on it, so she was hesitant to lie on it. If someone didn’t let her out by nightfall, she’d have to sleep on the dirty thing. She cringed.

Greta sat up straight when she heard a woman coming up the stairs, calling her name.

“I’m in here!” Greta yelled as loud as she could.

She felt someone jiggle the door handle. “It’s locked.”

“Who are you?” Greta asked

“It’s me: Martha Jefferson. I saw Miles in town and thought maybe he’d hid you here.”

“Can you get me out?”

She heard Martha throw her weight against the door. “It’s an old door. I think I may have cracked it.”

Greta stood and walked to the door. “Keep trying.”

Martha tried again, and the top half of the old wooden door caved in, dropping shreds of wood into the room.

Martha stuck her head inside. “Can you crawl through this opening? I’ll help you.”

“It’s too high.” Greta peered around the room. “Wait—I’ll drag the mattress over and stand on it.”

The mattress was firm enough to give Greta a boost, and Martha pulled her through the door.

“Let’s get out of here before Miles comes back,” Greta called as she ran down the stairs. Martha followed.

Greta hopped onto Martha’s horse, and they rode double into the woods. When they’d rode a good distance from the house, Martha stopped the horse.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Thank you for rescuing me, but how did you know I was locked up in there?”

Martha sighed. “It’s where Miles always took me so we could be alone. I overheard Adam and his father talking about Miles having kidnapped you, but they’re headed for the wrong place.”

“Where do they think I am?”

“In a vacant house on Bailey Road.”

“Whose house was I in, then?”

“A house that belonged to my grandmother who died six months ago. My uncle is supposed to come to Fort Worth to sell the place, but he hasn’t arrived yet. Few people know about it. My grandmother kept to herself.

“Look,” Martha said, “I’ll ride you to the road closest to town, but then I have some business to attend to. Rest assured, Miles will never bother you again.”

Her words and tone of voice alerted Greta. “How can you know that?”

“He and I have a few things to iron out, but no matter how our talk ends, you’ll be free of him; I can promise you that.”

Greta thought it wonderful to be free again, and she nodded. Martha trotted through a path in the woods, stopping when she came to a road.

“This is where you get off,” Martha said.

Greta slipped from the horse. She stood in the road and gazed around her.

“Just around that curve in the road you’ll see the church steeple. You’re only about a half mile from town.” She turned her horse, waved, and disappeared back into the woods.

Greta began walking. Soon enough, she saw the church steeple. She was free, but where was Adam?

~~~~****~~~~

Adam and Sam burst into the farmhouse and yelled for Greta as they searched each room. When they didn’t find